It is extremely common for adults to wake up in the morning a little achy and stiff, and still a bit tired. The night before might be a little blurry, but why would your vision be blurry after a normal night’s sleep? Turns out, dry eyes and slightly blurry vision in the morning is also a very common experience.

Sleep is a different experience for everyone. Some people sleep on their back, others on their side; some even sleep with their eyes slightly open without even knowing it, a condition called nocturnal lagophtalmos.

While most people sleep with their eyes closed, and their body is lubricating their eyes behind their eyelids throughout the night, it is still possible to wake up with dry eyes or blurry vision, and often with that little collection of “sand” from the Sandman tucked into the corner of your eye.

As you might have guessed, the debris in the corner of your eye isn’t sand, but is actually called rheum, a dried mucus discharged from the cornea or the conjunctiva – the thin, clear membrane that lines the inside of the eyelids and covers the white part of the eye.

While it’s true your eyes are being lubricated behind your eyelids, people do not blink when they are asleep. Blinking, using your tears as a lubricant, washes away that excreted debris. Since you’re not blinking while you’re asleep, the mucus collects and dries in the corner of your eye.

Morning Vision Issues

Dry eyes in the morning can mean you are one of the 20% of people who sleep at least a part of the night with their eyes slightly open. Using eye drops, some even developed specifically to keep your eyes lubricated throughout the night, can help with this condition. Apply eye drops upon waking can also help relieve dryness and itchiness.

Blurred vision at any time of day can be a little disconcerting. Allergens and other irritants in the environment can cause dry, itchy eyes, and/or blurry vision. Air purifiers where you sleep can help reduce irritants in the air and minimize the effects.

Some people may suffer from sleep-induced corneal edema, a minor swelling overnight in the cornea of the eye that causes blurry vision first thing in the morning but generally dissipates as the morning progresses.

Sleeping with contact lenses is often a cause of vision issues in the morning, and if it becomes an ongoing habit, could cause last vision and eye issues.

Wake Up to Find Out That You Are the Eyes of the World

As with any vision or eye related concern, persistent, unusual, or progressive issues should be brought to your eye doctor immediately.

Dry eyes and blurry vision in the morning could very easily be nothing serious, but it’s always better to get the advice of your doctor just to be sure.